Monday, December 21, 2015

2015 through Facebook (5)

Sometimes I cannot believe how quickly time passes all of us by. I still remember the eve of 2000 and now 15 years older, I am the product of all that has happened to me and around me since over those years. A few days ago I have started the first part of my Facebook views on issues related to lifestyle, culture, health and fitness and now it is time for the second part. The other posts in this series can be found here - 12346.

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Lifestyle, Culture, Health and Fitness (Part 2)

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21-Aug: Hmmm... Whatsapp uses so little data so being able to send Whatsapp messages via the Internet is not that attractive... unless you have run out of data altogether.

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25-Aug: I'm not being mean here but how is this "ripped abs and pumped pectorals"? This guy (Ryan Phillippe) like a lot of his other colleagues is a super well-paid Hollywood actor whose job requires a lean and toned body and he has the means and resources to engage the best trainers and nutritionists on this planet... and this is how good he can go? I am a nerdy engineer and a commoner of almost his age and yet I think I did better than him body-wise. There are just so many reasons why people (males and females alike) shouldn't idolise the bodies of celebrities and instead spend that otherwise wasted time and energy building the body they want to worship.

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27-Aug: I've learnt two new things today. One, contrary to popular belief the porn industry is not dead at all... as long as you market it to the dead. Two, ghosts actually like their porn actresses in neon pink. Mark my words, S&M paraphernalia will be next!

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29-Aug: I don't understand why people hire expensive personal trainers and then spend so much time chatting with them. If I were to hire one, I will instruct him from day one that I won't be socialising with him for a single second and he shouldn't be touching his hand-phone at all. I will make sure I use up all of his time to achieve my fitness goals. But then again if I were that strict and disciplined, I wouldn't require a personal trainer in the first place. This brings me to the conclusion that those who hire personal trainers on a regular basis are ill-disciplined people who lack friends to chat with.

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01-Sep: I have never thought that travelling is good value for money and this article further strengthens my view. This couple in the story and many others alike have not even scratched the surface of their problems when they now have zilch saved up for their retirement.

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03-Sep: People always say "when one door closes, another one opens" but little do they know that it doesn't open automatically. You have to first search long and hard for the door and then fight with many others to the death to get the key to unlock it.

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17-Sep: Here is further proof that self-help books are full of shit!

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03-Oct: Mental note - Add Bedok Town Park to the list. Roy what do you think?

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09-Oct: I don't know why people use the snooze function on a daily basis. If you know you must wake up by a certain time, why not just set your alarm clock to that time and then make sure you get up on time? Wouldn't that maximise uninterrupted sleep? Case in point - the tenant staying in the room next to mine at my mum's. Your snooze reminder is bloody irritating!

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21-Oct: During my last stint in Papua New Guinea I learnt that someone five years younger than me is earning twice my salary in the same company I am working for doing roughly the same type of work as I am. This just gives me more reason to not work too hard when I am in PNG. When you are paid peanuts, your output will also be peanuts.

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25-Oct: Please, no more man-buns or top-knots! Even many gorgeous men can't pull one off, so what chance do those countless wannabes who lazily convert their existing dos into these follicular atrocities without additional styling have (they often do not even have enough hair or length to do it)? This must be one of the worst-looking fads in modern-day history, and I thought hipster beards were bad enough!

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27-Oct: I don't understand why people whinge and be all self-righteous about having to cull "friends" on Facebook. It's most likely their fault in the first place for accepting requests so indiscriminately!

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29-Oct: "The prettier your underwear, the lonelier you are". I can't help but to agree with such wise words. PS: I don't wear underwear.

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12-Nov: For a person who is frugal to the max, the possible GST increase from 10% to 15% will not affect me that much but still it is a substantial rise. I hope it doesn't happen.

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20-Nov: Many people on social networks are friend-collectors and they basically start a new account when the 5000-friends limit is reached. I don't see the point of doing that on Facebook but I find it logical if done on LinkedIn because in bad economic times when people are desperate, they cast a wide net to get employed in order to survive. I just got a request to join my LinkedIn network by an infantry officer with US Army stationed in Canberra. She must be either using LinkedIn as if it were Facebook or really desperate to leave the army!

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22-Nov: I don't like the new Woolworth's Rewards system not only because I prefer the old one with the Qantas Frequent Flyer points credit. This new scheme is such a scam. This loaf of bread sometimes sells for $3.50 and now they have simply jacked up the price by $2 and then refund the $2 as Woolworth's dollars which you cannot claim until you collect at least ten of such dollars. Essentially they are holding on to large sums of your money without paying you interest. What a scam!

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23-Nov: Conventional thinking would be - if the food quality is already bad in a non-all-you-can-eat setting, how can it be better when it is all-you-can-eat? I have always loved KFC so whatever the quality, this restaurant is still worth a visit if it is in business the next time I go to Japan!

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26-Nov: Don't get me wrong I love muscular men but this looks out of this world. In my opinion this has gone past the bounds of sexiness into scary territory.

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02-Dec: Admittedly this guy is hot but look at the hashtag titles he has labelled himself with. If social media were to manifest itself in the physical realm, he would be walking right in front of passers-by and saying “hey, I am sexy, cute and fit” and no one would ever do that. However Facebook and the like still manage to continue breeding a generation of narcissists too confident for their own good (me included). That being said, I rather hide in this little comfort zone forever than to face harshness we call the real world.

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06-Dec: Envying people who go to expensive restaurants, take expensive vacations and buy expensive things is a thing of the distant past for me. Because of how deep I am set in my frugal ways, I pity them and feel fortunate that I did not waste all that money. A fine line separates being extreme and being contented. For me, being at the border has been working very well so far.

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08-Dec: Cheap dinner treat for booboo. Who says dining out on good food that your partner likes needs to cost an arm and a leg? These little simple joys are what add meaning to my life now. As the saying goes - when your husband is happy you are happy too.

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10-Dec: 70% of Australian men are obese and this is absolutely mind-boggling! Something drastic needs to be done. A tax on junk food and making healthy food cheaper comes to mind. However I am not sure how we can strengthen the resolve of weak-willed individuals after they repeatedly commit and fail to shed the kilos. Any ideas?

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15-Dec: Looks like Woolworth's heard the complaints loud and clear and is currently in damage control, re-introducing the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program in a sketchy fashion and in a still very unsatisfactory form!